Women lose in T20 County Cup thriller

April 27, 2026

SUFFOLK Women lost to Buckinghamshire on the penultimate ball of a low-scoring thriller in the first round of the Vitality T20 County Cup, writes Jack Oastler.

Buoyed by an impressive pair of friendly victories over Hertfordshire earlier this month, Suffolk welcomed Bucks to Ipswich CC, looking to begin their competitive season on a high.

A flying half-century from Sophie Hughes took Suffolk to 124, but Tilly Fellows put the flourish on the visitors’ chase after an imposing opening partnership.

Buckinghamshire had the best of the early exchanges, with Natasha MacBean bowling a maiden to Dia Nair. The opener struck back in MacBean’s next over, finding the boundary twice, but was run out four balls later for 12.

Evie Booker, on her return to Suffolk colours, was bowled for five – leaving her Mildenhall team-mates Hughes and Charlotte Anderson to construct a rebuild.

Boundaries were hard to come by at first, but the pair ran well to put on 33. Anderson found the fence to move to 31, before being bowled.

Eva Lewis struck again with her next ball – leaving Analise Merritt, Suffolk’s debutant, to face the hat-trick delivery. The all-rounder hit it for four.

At 63 for 4 after 12 overs, Suffolk’s innings looked like it could be heading for a slow death, even before Merritt was caught three balls later.

Up stepped Sophie Hughes. Fours in the 13th and 14th overs primed the left-hander for a 17-run takedown of Sky Springett in the 15th, featuring four boundaries. The visitors pulled things back somewhat, but couldn’t stop Hughes from reaching her half-century.

Bucks finished the innings on a high: first dismissing Poppy Smart, before seeing off Hughes (pictured above) for 54 off 38. Suffolk could only scamper through for five runs in the last over.

Although 125 was not the most imposing target, with runs on the board in a cup tie, Suffolk were still firmly in with a shot. Booker shared the new ball with her captain Maddy Reynolds and conceded just three from the first two overs.

From there, though, the Buckinghamshire openers seemed to find their feet. Rosie Burton-Pye dominated the fourth over, taking ten from it.

Progress from there wasn’t exactly quick, but it was steady: Bucks had reached 69, and the 13th over, before Burton-Pye was the first batter out. Her 35-ball 39 had broken the back of the chase; she looked like she might finish it herself.

Suffolk needed something special to spark a fightback, and Merritt provided it, lifting the fielding side with a direct-hit run out.

The batters continued to edge ever closer, greeting Reynolds with a boundary to bring up 100 at the start of the 17th over. The seamer trapped Cara Duggan lbw with the next ball, though, to give her side hope; Merritt bowled Tegan Stockdale in the next over, which cost just two, to arguably put Suffolk on top.

Fellows was the new batter at the crease – now requiring 19 from 13 balls – and she took the chase into her own hands, with a single to retain strike for the 19th over. Reynolds was the bowler. The Buckinghamshire keeper went 2, 4, 2, 4 to take 14 off the over, and the game looked as good as won.

Merritt’s task was to defend four. Never easy, let alone on debut. She did admirably – bowling three dots – to push the game to the penultimate ball, when Afra Rose Mohamed ran the winning single. The opening batter deserved the glory, having anchored the innings with 44.

Suffolk fought hard, but it is Buckinghamshire who progress to round two of the cup.

Scorecard

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